Cocoon
by lily-uzumaki23
Summary: For Xenobia. A sweet little morning with our boys...Clack


**A/n: **I wrote this little piece for Xenobia for two reasons. One, because if it hadn't been because of Darkness Before Dawn, I don't think I would've ever survived my incredibly long and packed summer. Two, because I feel like the most horrible person in the world for not being able to comment on your amazing work. I want to get on it. I couldn't read properly the first time because of roommates with me in the hotels we had to stay at. I could only skim through and so I'm desperate to read a second time and am in the process of waiting to forget what I've read so I can read it again. Please accept my humble offering as appreciation. The rest of you, enjoy!

**Warning(s): **Fluff alert! I'm warning you!

**Disclaimer: Do. Not. Own

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**Cocoon

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Cloud didn't consider himself a morning person, especially when he had to get up even before the sun had risen into the vast expense of the sky—for morning drills of all things—it was painful torture. Besides, in Midgar, there was hardly a thing to look forward to in mornings. There was no smell of sweet morning dew, no fresh and undiluted morning breeze, no quiet outside to lose himself into. The air was polluted, giving off the impression that it was going to be a rainy day. The noise of machinery working around the clock made his head hurt and the smell of chemicals made his chest tighten. He couldn't tell whether that was out of nostalgia more than anything.

One look at his sleeping lover beside him, however, and all bleariness and grouchiness and morose morning thoughts seemed to be forgotten in an instant. Lieutenant Zackary Fair, SOLDIER 1st class, for some reason liked to resemble a cocoon when he slept, with the dark comforter wrapped around his feet and all the way to his head, hiding up to the last of his raven wild spikes of hair. He looked like a mummy wrapped up in throws. It even seemed hazardous to Cloud. Really, he had no idea how the sable-haired fighter could breathe in there. Nevertheless, the sight of him never failed to bring a small smile to his face. He didn't _love _mornings but seeing his boyfriend like this sure made them worth it.

He was just about to roll off the bed when a hand suddenly shot out of the shell of blankets and pulled him with enough force to make him lay back down completely. His body didn't protest at the prospect of unplanned additional rest. It allowed the other man's larger body to move on top of his and lay on his as if his smaller body were the mattress. Zack pulled on the comforter and enclosed the two of them now in his sleep capsule.

"Zack," Cloud called in a tired, chastising whisper. It wasn't the first time the man had pulled this type of antic.

"Two more minutes," the raven 1st mumbled sleepily. Cloud remained frozen, too tired to physically oppose to this. He reached up to thread his fingers through his boyfriend's sable locks, knowing it soothed him down enough to put him back to sleep again. Zack responded with a contented little moan against his neck. They lay like this for two minutes that only seemed to last a good couple of seconds. Because really, time seemed to fly by when you wanted it to go slow but seemed to go backwards when you wanted it to go fast.

"I have to go," Cloud mumbled and Zack clicked his tongue annoyed at the announcement. He had only gotten back from his latest mission two hours ago and wished with everything he was that he could stay nestled in Cloud's scent and warmth for the rest of the day.

"Don't." The request was made half-whiningly, and Cloud knew Zack only used that tone with him when he was teasing, but a strange sort of pain still tugged at his heart. They hadn't been able to share alone time lately, what with Zack's recent promotion to 1st class, he'd been deployed on so many missions right off the bat, they hardly saw each other at all. He breathed resignedly, threading fingers through his boyfriend's hair again, indulging in this comfortable moment while he still had it.

"Do you really want me to miss first period? Commander Liefl isn't going to go soft on me, you know?" Zack sighed exhaustedly.

"I'll call and put in a word for you," he said and Cloud furrowed his brows. Despite the fact that they were officer and subordinate carrying on with an inter-departmental relationship, Zack had never used his authority irresponsibly. In fact, it was Zack who always pushed him to go to classes and training those days his head felt like a block and his body was too sore to move, those days when he could think of nothing but sleeping in.

"Zack?" Cloud's voice wavered with uncertainty.

" 'm kidding," the raven said, his voice muffled due to how close his lips were pressed to Cloud's skin. "Wake up, spiky," a yawn in between, "gotta go get 'em, babe." The encouragement would've been more effective had the words not been uttered in a groggy-borderline-sleep-delirious slur, and a hardly enthusiastic one at that. Cloud's lip trembled as he tried to contain his laughter, though he failed miserably. _Not _laughing was just impossible around Zack.

He did feel a little bad for him. Though 1st classes did have better endurance thanks to the Mako, ShinRa's top operatives liked to assign missions to them as if they were robots that needed no rest. Zack was a ball of energy but even he had his limits. Underneath all the enhancements he might not look it, but he was still human.

"I'm going to be late," Cloud said, struggling to sit up. He tried to swing his legs over the edge of the bed in order to stand but Zack only hugged him tighter around his torso, preventing him from doing so.

"Will you kiss me before you go?" he looked up at him, puppy eyes begging, and Cloud could feel his face burning all the way to his ears. Zack was such a sap sometimes and his corniness always tended to take him by complete surprise.

"Blockhead," he rolled his eyes, cursing his bashfulness and Zack beamed brightly at him, taking that as a yes. Later, when Cloud had showered, brushed his teeth and dressed appropriately for inspection, he sat on the edge of the bed where Zack had left some space, pulled the covers from his face, leaned down and kissed him softly and languidly, slowly waking him up from a brief slumber.

"I'll be back in the afternoon. Call me when you wake up?" Zack gave him a wink. The fact that he had major bed hair going on or that there were dark circles of exhaustion underneath his eyes didn't make the gesture any less cool than it always was.

"You bet your ass I will," he responded, and Cloud knew, before he could even feel it, that the ruddiness in face had darkened impossibly.

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**The End. **Hope you liked it! Reviews would be nice…


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